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The fine state of Ohio, a place I called home for several years during my childhood, has made the list. They’ve crossed the line and frankly, I’m a bit appalled. In a country that is frequently filled with hate and murder, you’d think some state politicians would find better things to do than make sure archaic ideas and antiquated morals were reflected in their laws.
As of Feb. 6, Ohio Gov. Bob Taft signed a bill that bans same-sex marriages in the Buckeye State. Is it me, or are people getting dumber? Fact: 38 states in the United States currently have laws that ban same-sex marriages. More than half of the states in this country have their heads up their asses, and it’s up to me to make sure they can find their way out.
This decision came immediately after the Massachusetts Supreme Court decided that it was unconstitutional to deny marriage to same-sex couples. It’s almost like, gasp, Gov. Taft was trying to send a message to the people of this country. I can see him now, with his people-hating, civil rights-denying suit on: “I like gays, I just don’t like ‘em enough to let ‘em get married.” Maybe my images of Taft are a bit embellished, but my point stands.
There is no question that my generation is watching history be made. This country has prided itself on taking political correctness to the point where it strangles some free speech. As long as people are happy, I’m all right. But sometimes I have the feeling that Americans have not come as far as we think we have. Sure, we may not be having sit-ins that make the national news and there may not be blatant signs of disregard for the rights of gays, but these types of actions are a product of any given time period. Much like a child outgrows wetting the bed, people – the ones with their heads screwed on correctly – have stopped harassing blacks and started giving them the rights they deserve. There is no question that the gay population’s struggle for equal rights is just as important and meaningful to this country’s history.
What people say and what they do are two completely different things. I hear plenty of people pay lip service to the idea of same-sex marriage, and yet, 38 states have a ban on making it legal. The only thing that shocked me more than reading 38 states have a law banning same-sex marriages is the news that John Kerry told the Boston Globe he would not rule out his own vote in standing against Massachusetts’ recent ruling. Now maybe Kerry is attempting to walk the line with Republicans. Surely he will need some of their votes to win this presidential race, but I’m afraid he may be alienating some of his core democratic supporters with his recent stance on same-sex marriages.
What’s the big deal, right? So gays can’t get married. It’s not like they’re going to be pumping out children anytime soon, so who really needs those things we call civil rights? The only thing worse than the laws that are ravaging this country is a non-existent but not too distant ban on gay couples adopting children. In reality, people are afraid. It’s that simple. They’re afraid of letting go of the fact that sometimes, in some settings, homosexuality is demonized.
It’s time we shed the outdated morals that divide this country. Human beings are all given the same rights when they’re born, something we all learned in third grade. Marriage will not be tainted with Massachusetts’ landmark ruling. When they do pass same-sex marriage into law, I think I may go nail the bill to Gov. Taft’s door.
Marshall Dury is a senior English major.
